The sudden and unexpected about turn by Fourie du Preez on his decision to play for the Springboks and be available as captain has extended the speculation on the captaincy issue that has hogged the headlines -- at least for another few hours.
The captaincy was to be decided at a meeting with Meyer and the squad at the team hotel in Umhlanga Rocks on Sunday, and the coach will disclose the new team leader to the media at a press conference at lunch time on Monday. The favourite is Jean de Villiers, the man who has led the Stormers through most of their impressive season and now the most experienced Bok in the group.
However Meyer did say at the team announcement press conference at Loftus that he may look at a young captain, which would rule De Villiers out and bring someone like the Sharks’ Keegan Daniel into the frame. But although Daniel is now being considered as a possible starter at No 8, and his claim for a starting spot has been strengthened by the non-selection of Heinrich Brussouw, is he the certainty to start that a captain would need to be?
Remember that Duane Vermeulen was the first choice No 8 until he was injured, and he is likely to be available again by the time The Rugby Championship arrives in mid-August. And Pierre Spies, the Bulls skipper, is still in the squad and is the incumbent No 8. Spies has not been in great form though and it wouldn’t be surprising if Meyer shares Nick Mallett’s views on the Bulls captain, with Ryan Kankowski understood to be highly rated by the national coach.
The make-up of the team for the first test must surely have a bearing on who the captain is, so unless Meyer is prepared to drop the inform Bismarck du Plessis for Adriaan Strauss, who he rates highly as a team leader, De Villiers must be the favourite.
The confusion that has resulted from Du Preez’s decision to withdraw his interest though has not helped Meyer as he begins a short week of preparation for his first test match in charge. Du Preez was the chosen skipper this time last week, with Meyer confirming to media that his meeting with the scrumhalf the previous week had gone well and that he was available to captain the side.
Apparently though Meyer had a meeting with Du Preez late last week where suddenly Du Preez started to express second thoughts, and Meyer, pressed for time, had to give him an ultimatum which went something along the lines of “You’re either in or you’re out”. There has been speculation that issues with Du Preez’s Japanese club played a role but it has since been confirmed that those were sorted out, so maybe Du Preez was just put off by the criticism that was directed at the probability of him leading the team.
Either way, an important safety net has been taken out from under Meyer, and while many will welcome the Du Preez decision on the basis that it means the coach is forced to be forward thinking and embrace a new era, it is nonetheless a concern that the coach, who displays signs sometimes of jitteriness and uncertainty, is going into his first series without his chosen leader (which was of course first Victor Matfield, and then Du Preez).
The Boks will have what will be their first official full training session under Meyer’s watch -- the other squad sessions in recent months were just planning sessions done at 30% intensity -- at Northwood College in Durban North on Monday afternoon. It is open to the public.
Via Supersport
